Fluoroscopic apparatus



Jan. 13,1942. Q N 2,269,866

FLUOROSCO PIC APPARATUS Original Filed Oct. 12, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR y 5 9 I fill-F610 J/MQ/V BY 9n ATTO R N EY Jan. 13,1942.) A. SIMON 2,269,866

FLUOROSCOPIC APPARATUS Original Filed Oct. 12, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Jan. 13, 1942.

FLUOROSCOPIC APPARATUS Original Filed Oct. 12, 1938 5 Sheefcs-Sheet 3 I n I 5 pi}; "MW I lNVENTOR man. "4/755 ATTORNEY A. SIMON 2,269,866

Patented Jan. 13, 1942 2,269,866 FLUOROSCOPIG APPARATUS Alfred Simon, Jackson Heights, N.Y., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Original application October 12, 1938, Serial No. 234,564. Divided and this application May 1,

1940, Serial No. 332,663

Claims.

The present invention relates to X-ray apparatus and'has particular reference to what is known in the art as fluoroscopicapparatus as commonly employed with X-ray tables and vertical fluoroscopes for the making of fluoroscopic examination, and is a division of my copending application, Ser. No. 234,564, filed Oct. 12, 1938 now Patent No. 2,215,654.

This type of examination is sometimes performed by the reentgenologist with the patient lying prone upon an X-ray table during which the X-ray tube and fluoroscopic shutters are disposed below the table top and the fluorescent screen is above the table top and patient. In

other instances-due to the character of the examination, it can best be made with the patient standing, and the table is consequently rotated to a vertical position where it becomes essentially what is known in the art as a vertical fluoroscope.

In the making of a fluoroscopic examination it frequently becomes necessary to restrict the beam of X-rays to a definite area which is done by the adjustment of fluoroscopic shutters. To facilitate the examination, control knobs are disposed adjacent the fluorescent screen, or in some instances upon the screen, which knobs are rotated by the roentgenologist to control the adjustment of the fluoroscopic shutters. However, this necessitates removal of the hands from the screen handles and, in manipulating the control knobs, the position of the fluorescent screen relative to the patient is disturbed.

Moreover, in fluoroscopic devices of the prior art, although the fluorescent screen usually follows movement of the X-ray tube, it has heretofore been necessary for the roentgenologist to adjust the screen by hand in order to position it parallel to the body of the patient each time the X-ray tube is moved to an angular position. Also, to prevent dropping of the fluorescent screen when moved to certain positions, particularly while making an examination of a patient while in an erect position, the screen has heretofore been counterbalanced which added to the weight and complexity of the apparatus.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a fluoroscopic apparatus wherein the fluorescent screen is automatically maintained parallel with respect to the patient support regardless of the angulation of the X-ray tube and fluoroscopic shutters.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a fluoroscopic apparatus wherein the fluorescent screen is maintained in fixed positions without the necessity of a counterbalance,

Another object of the present invention is the provision of .a fluoroscopic apparatus wherein the fluoroscopic shutters are automatically adjustable by the operator without removing his hands from the fluorescent screen.

Another object of the present invention provision of a fluoroscopic apparatus wherein the adjustable fluoroscopic shutters are motor driven and controlled by push buttons carried by the fluorescent screen.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a fluoroscopic apparatus provided with motor driven fluoroscopic shutters which are controlled by push buttons carried by the fluorescent screen so as to be operated by an operator with either hand without removing his hands from the screen.

Still further objects of the present invention will become obvious to those skilled in the art by reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of an Xray tube stand provided with a fluoroscopic apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention and disposed adjacent an examination table;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to that of Fig. l with a part of the supporting table broken away and showing the parallel position of the fluorescent screen with respect to the patient support and an angular position of the X-ray tube;

Fig. 3 is an end view in elevation of the apparatus as shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an elevational View partly in crosssection and on an enlarged scale of the mechanism for automatically maintaining the fluorescent screen parallel to the patient support with a portion of the apparatus broken away to better illustrate the mechanism;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line V-V of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the fluorescent screen showing the position of the control buttons for the fluoroscopic shutters and looking in the direction of the arrows VI-VI of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the X-ray tube unit looking in the direction of the arrows VIIVII of Fig. 3 with parts of the device broken away to better illustrate the same;

Fig. 8 is a view partly in section and on an enlarged scale taken on the line VIlI-VIII of Fig..'7 with part of the device broken away for illustrative purposes, and

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken on the line IX-IX of Fig.8.

is the Referring now to the drawings in detail, the device shown in Fig. 1 comprises a table upon which a patient reclines during a diagnostic examination. Disposed adjacent one side of the table is a tube stand shown generally at 6. This tube stand as shown comprises a vertically disposed substantially rectangular standard 1 supported by a base 8 with the latter being provided with suitable casters 9 to facilitate movement of the stand longitudinally of the table to enable complete examination of a patient from one extremity to the other.

The tube stand 6 is provided with a laterally extending bracket I El to which is pivotally connected an angularly disposed member I2 which, together with the bracket I3, forms a support. This angularly disposed member I2 has a memher or arm I3 pivotally connected thereto which carries at one extremity a fluorescent screen It and an X-ray tube assembly I5 at its other extremity. Rotation of the arm I3 about its pivot accordingly disposes the X-ray tube assembly I5 below the table with the fluorescent screen I4 above, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, or the X-ray tube assembly may be moved above the table and the fluorescent screen below, and secured in place by a lock I6.

As will be noted more clearly from Fig. 6, the screen I4 is pivotally supported by a bifurcated member I I which telescopically engages a spindle I8 journall-ed in a pair of outwardly projecting lugs I9. Thus by rotation of the screen in a vertical plane and rotating the spindle I8 in a horizontal plane, as viewed from Figs. 3 and 6, the screen can be positioned out of range of the underside of the table and locked by means of a handle 23 when the X-ray tube I5 is positioned above the table.

Also in many instances a fluoroscopic examination is made while the patient is in a standing position which requires that the arm I 3 be moved to the horizontal. In the absence of any provision to the contrary, this would place the spindle I8 in a horizontal position with the entire weight of the screen I4 on the lock 23. Should the lock release for any reason or the operator neglect to tighten it, the screen would drop by gravitation, which might result in serious injury to a patient or the roentgenologist.

To prevent this, as welhas to maintain the screen parallel to the patient support, the apparatus is provided with an arrangement as shown more particularly in Figs. 4 and 5, wherein the lugs I9 form an integral part of a plate or the like 2 I. This plate is rigidly secured, such as by bolts or the like 22, to a gear 23, the latter of which is journalled in suitable bearings 24 within the arm I3. Also within the arm I3 and concentric with its axis of rotation about the member I2 is another gear 25. This latter gear is rigidly secured to the member I2, such as by means of cap screws or the like 26, so that the arm I3 rotates thereabout upon bearings 21.

A further freely rotating gear 28, which meshes with both gears 23 and 25, is journalled at 29 within the arm I3, so that when the roentgenologist rotates the arm I3 about its pivot constituting the bearings 21 by grasping a handle 30, the gear 23 describes planetary movement about the gear 25. Assuming the fluoroscopic apparatus, comprising the fluorescent screen I4 and the X-ray tube unit I5, to have initially been inthe position shown in Fig. 1 and the X-ray tube unit is shifted, upon rotation of the arm I3 by the operator to that shown in Fig. 2, this accordingly positions the X-ray tube in angular relation with respect to the table 5.

The gear 28, however, during its planetary movement about the gear 25 will cause rotation of the gear 23 and, since all the gears are of the same diameter and pitch, the degree of rotation of the arm I3 about its pivot (gear 25) will cause the same degree of rotation of the gear 23. Inasmuch as the spindle I8, carrying the bifurcated member I! and screen I4, is connected to the gear 23', the screen I4, once it is positioned parallel with the top of the table 5, is maintained in this position regardless of the angulation of the X-ray tube unit with respect thereto.

When necessary, the bifurcated member I1 and screen M can be rotated independently of the spindle I8 and integral plate 2| due to the telescopic engagement thereof, but sufiicient friction is maintained therebetween by a set screw or the like 32 to prevent slippage so that the screen is maintained, as above noted, parallel to the table top regardless of the angular position of the X-ray tube unit. This accordingly facilitates the making of a diagnostic examination without the necessity for the roentgenologist endeavoring to properly reposition the screen each time the fluoroscopic apparatus is shifted as required during such an examination. Moreover, when the apparatus is moved to a horizontal position during the making of an examination while the patient is in an erect position, the spindle I3 is moved to a vertical position, thus eliminating a strain on the lock 20 so that the screen is not dependent thereon and cannot drop by gravitation by rotation of the spindle about the lugs I9.

As is customary in fluoroscopic apparatus it is movable vertically with respect to the stand 6 and, in the particular apparatus shown, the fluoroscopic apparatus is counterbalanced by the high voltage transformer 33 encased within the stand and which supplies high voltage electrical energy to the X-ray tube unit through cables 34. However, since the details of this particular structure form no part of the present invention,

but are fully shown and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 234,891, filed Oct. 14, 1938, it is believed unnecessary to further describe the same herein.

In addition to the provision of the above noted mechanism for automatically maintaining the screen in parallelism with the table, the X-ray tube unit is provided with fluoroscopic shutters which are automatically controlled by pairs of push buttons carried by the fluorescent screen. Each pair of push buttons 35 and 36 are disposed immediately above the screen handles 31 so as to be operated by the thumb with one set controlling opening and closing of one set of shutters, While the other set controls opening and closing of the remaining shutters.

By reference more particularly to Figs. 4 and 6 it will be seen that a cable 38 is concealed in the screen frame and bifurcated member I1 and is supported by the arm I3. At the pivot point of this arm I3 the cable extends through the arm with the high voltage cables 34 Where it connects to a terminal block 39 (Figs. 8 and 9) carried by the X-ray tube unit I5. As shown more particularly in Figs. 8 and 9, the X-ray tube unit comprises a housing 40 pivotally supported by arms 42 extending from the arm I3 and provided with the customary direction cone 33. Also within the casing 40, between the X-ray tube (not shown) and the opening 44 adjacent the direction cone 43, is a framework 45 (Figs. 8 and 9) provided with depending lugs 46. One pair of these lugs 46 supports a stationary shaft 41, while another pair of these lugs supports a further stationary shaft 48. Also a rotatable threaded shaft 49 is journalled in a further pair of lugs 45, as is another rotatable threaded shaft As can be seen more clearly in Fig. 9 the rotatable shafts 49 and 50 are threaded each side of their centers with right and left hand threads. A pair of X-ray opaque shutters 52, which for the sake of simplicity will be referred to as horizontal shutters, are provided with threaded collars 53 engaging the threaded shaft 49 and collars 54 having openings therein of slightly greater diameter than the stationary shaft 48 so as to be readily slidable thereon. A gear 55 is rigidly secured to the rotatable shaft 49 and for the purpose of rotating the latter, this gear meshes with a gear carried by the armature of a reversible electric motor 51.

Since the electric motor 51 is connected by one or the other push buttons of one pair to a suitable source of electrical energy of the usual commercial potential (not shown), the motor is caused to rotate in either direction, For example, if one of the push buttons of the pair 35 is moved by the thumb of the roentgenologist, the motor 51 rotates in one direction, which causes the horizontal shutters to move toward each other due to their threaded connection with the threaded shaft 49 and sliding engagement with the stationary shaft 48. Also, if the other push button of the pair 35 is moved or depressed, the shutters 52 move away from each other, thus increasing the spacing therebetween.

Another pair of X-ray opaque shutters 58 are also provided which will be hereinafter referred to as vertical shutters. These shutters are identical in construction and operation as that previously described with respect to the shutters 52, and engage the threaded shaft 50 and stationary shaft 41 in the same manner as the shutters 52 engage their respective shafts 48 and 49. The threaded shaft 50 is provided with a beveled gear 59 engaging a gear 60 carried by the armature of a further reversible electric motor 6| which is under the control of the other pair of push buttons 36 carried by the fluorescent screen It will thus be seen that by operation of one pair of push buttons 35 the horizontal shutters 52 are automatically moved back and forth depending upon the will of the operator, and in a similar manner the vertical shutters 58 are caused to move up or down. This accordingly confines the beam of X-rays emanating from the X-ray tube to any desired area of the patients anatomy.

It thus becomes obvious to those skilled in the art that a fluoroscopic apparatus is herein provided in which the fluorescent screen is automatically maintained in parallelism with the patient support regardless of the angular position of the X-ray tube unit. Moreover, the fluoroscopic shutters which are carried by the X-ray tube unit are automatically adjustable from the fluorescent screen without the necessity for the operator to remove his hands from the screen handles and regardless of the angular position of the X-ray tube unit with respect to the patient support.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described, it is to be understood that other modifications thereof may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination with a patient supporting means, of a fluoroscopic unit comprising a standard, a, support movable vertically of said standard, a member pivotally secured to said support and provided with a fluorescent screen at one end thereof and an X-ray tube unit at it other end comprising a housing for said X-ray tube having an X-ray pervious window therein and a set of fluoroscopic shutters interposed between the X- ray tube and said X-ray pervious window, a pair of shafts disposed in said housing and connected to said fluoroscopic shutters, electrically operable means connected to each shaft for rotating the same in either direction to cause the fluoroscopic shutters connected thereto to move toward or away from each other to vary the area through which X-rays are projected, and control buttons carried by said fluorescent screen for operating said electrically operable means.

2. The combination with a patient supporting means, of a fluoroscopic unit comprising a standard, a support movable vertically of said standard, a member pivotally secured to said support and provided with a fluorescent screen at one end thereof and an X-ray tube unit at its other end comprising a housing for said X-ray tube having an X-ray pervious window therein and a set of fluoroscopic shutters interposed between the X- ray tube and said X-ray pervious window, a pair of threaded shafts disposed in said housing and each connected to one pair of fluoroscopic shutters to cause the shutters of each pair to move toward or away from each other depending upon the direction of rotation of each respective shaft to vary the area through which X-rays are projected, a reversible electric motor connected to each shaft for rotating the same in either direc-- tion of rotation, and control buttons carried by said fluorescent screen for causing operation of said electric motors.

3. A fluoroscopic apparatus comprising a support, an X-ray tube carried by said support, a set of fluoroscopic shutters interposed in the path of the beam of X-rays from said tube, a pair of shafts connected to said fluoroscopic shutters, electrically operable means connected to each shaft for rotating the same in either direction to cause the fluoroscopic shutters connected thereto to move toward or away from each other to vary the area through which X-ra-ys are projected, and remotely disposed push buttons for operating said electrically operable means.

4. A fluoroscopic apparatu comprising a support, an X-ray tube carried by said support, a set of fluoroscopic shutters interposed in the path of the beam of X-rays from said tube, a pair of threaded shafts each connected to one pair of fluoroscopic shutters to cause the shutters of each pair to move toward or away from each other depending upon the direction of rotation of each respective shaft to vary the area through which X-rays are projected, a reversible electric motor connected to each shaft for rotating the same in either direction of rotation, and remotely disposed push buttons for operating said electric motors.

5. A fluoroscopic apparatus comprising a support, an X-ray tube carried by said support, a set of fluoroscopic shutters interposed in the path of the beam of X-rays from said tube, a pair of threadedshafts each connected to one pair of fluoroscopic shutters to cause the shutters of each pair to move toward or away from each other dependin upon the direction of rotation of each respective shaft to vary the area through which X-rays are projected, a pair of reversible electric motors, a reduction gear train connecting each motor to a respective shaft to cause rotation of the latter, and remotely disposed control buttons for causing operation of said electric motors.

ALFRED SIMON. 

